Greenland and Denmark appeared cautiously relieved early Wednesday by the news that U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife are changing their itinerary for their visit to Greenland Friday, reducing the likelihood that they will cross paths with residents angered by the Trump administration’s attempts to annex the vast Arctic island, a semi-autonomous Danish territory.
The couple will now visit the U.S. Space Force outpost at Pituffik, on the northwest coast of Greenland, instead of Usha Vance’s previously announced solo trip to the Avannaata Qimussersu dogsled race in Sisimiut.
President Donald Trump irked much of Europe by suggesting that the United States should in some form control the self-governing, mineral-rich territory of Denmark, a U.S. ally and NATO member. As the nautical gateway to the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America, Greenland has broader strategic value as both China and Russia seek access to its waterways and natural resources.
Trump, in an interview Wednesday on “The Vince Show,” repeated his desire for U.S. control of Greenland. Asked if the people there are “eager” to become U.S. citizens, Trump said he didn’t know “but I think we have to do it, and we have to convince them.”
The vice president’s decision to visit a U.S. military base in Greenland has removed the risk of violating potential diplomatic taboos by sending a delegation to another country without an official invitation. Yet Vance has also criticized long-standing European allies for relying on military support from the United States, openly antagonizing partners in ways that have generated concerns about the reliability of the U.S.
During his first term, Trump floated the idea of purchasing the world’s largest island, even as Denmark insisted it wasn’t for sale. The people of Greenland also have firmly rejected Trump’s plans.
Timing of Vance’s visit stirred concerns
Anne Merrild, a Greenlander and an expert on Arctic politics and development, said recent anti-U.S. demonstrations in Nuuk might have scared the Trump administration enough to revise the trip to avoid interactions with angry Greenlanders.
Still, Merrild said, even a visit to the space base shows that the U.S. administration still considers annexing Greenland to be on the table.
“It’s a signal to the whole world, it’s a strong signal to Denmark, it’s a signal to Greenland,” she said. “And of course it’s also an internal signal to the U.S., that this is something that we’re pursuing.”
Vance is allowed to visit the base, said Marc Jacobsen, a professor at the Royal Danish Defense College, because of a 1951 agreement between Denmark and the U.S. regarding the defense of Greenland.
Jacobsen said the timing is controversial, particularly because coalition negotiations are ongoing to form a government after the election earlier this month.
Ahead of the vice president’s announcement that he would join his wife, discontent from the governments of Greenland and Denmark had been growing sharper, with the Greenland government posting on Facebook Monday night that it had “not extended any invitations for any visits, neither private nor official.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish national broadcasts Tuesday that the visit was “unacceptable pressure.”
No clear end game
Peter Viggo Jakobsen, associate professor at the Danish Defense Academy, said the trip’s flip-flop continues to cause major confusion on the island. The U.S. has not articulated specific demands from Greenland or Denmark at this point.
“We have no idea what the end game is,” Jakobsen said.
In Greenland, the political group the most sympathetic to the U.S. president, the Naleraq party that advocates a swift path toward independence, has now been excluded from coalition talks to form the next government. The Trump administration’s aspirations for Greenland could backfire and push the more mild parties closer to Denmark.
“But now Trump has scared most Greenlanders away from this idea about a close relationship to the United States because they don’t trust him,” Jakobsen added.
Funding is key
One of the biggest remaining hurdles to Greenland’s independence is diversifying the economy, where fishing accounts for 90% of exports. In the meantime, Greenland receives an annual block grant from Denmark of around 3.5 billion kronen ($506 million), which is more than half the public budget, to cover the island’s Nordic-style social programs, including free health care.
It’s therefore better for Greenland, strategically, to threaten Denmark with independence and a referendum than actually do it, Jakobsen said. As long as the threat is there, Greenland can push for more concessions and more money from Denmark.
If the island pins all its hopes on the U.S., Greenlanders have no guarantee they will be better off or have any power in a future relationship with America, he said.
“In that sense, Trump is the Danish realm’s best friend at the moment,” Jakobsen added.
